“She found her difference was her superpower”: Becky Hutner and Amy Powney on Fashion Reimagined

With sustainability now part and parcel of mainstream conversation when it comes to fashion, it’s hard to believe that not so long ago it was at best an afterthought, and at worst, not considered at all. This point is brought into sharp focus by the eye-opening documentary from Becky Hutner, following trailblazing fashion designer Amy Powney of Mother of Pearl, Fashion Reimagined.

When Powney won the coveted Best Young Designer of the Year award, Hutner heard of her plans to try and create an entirely sustainable clothing line, No Frills, for the autumn 2018 season and decided to follow her on her journey. Neither knew quite where it would lead, the challenges they would face and just how opaque our fashion industry really is, from the impossibility to find the true source of fabrics, to the brazen exploitation of workers in developing countries to keep the price of a t-shirt stupidly low.

With stunning cinematography that allows the educational element of the film to land perfectly, Fashion Reimagined also emerges as a character study of Powney herself, tracing her humble background and experiences as being something of an outsider in the highly exclusive fashion world – but what at first seemed to hold her back became her greatest strength, bringing the fresh perspective and penetrating questions need to prompt a much-needed shake-up. It seems impossible to watch this film and not have questions of your own, both about the clothes you buy, and the way we consume more generally, and want to borrow some of Powney’s tenacious attitude to not taking no for an answer.

The Upcoming had the pleasure of chatting with the filmmaker and Powney about their journey to making the film, the challenges and highlights along the way and what they hope will be in terms of knocking consumers and designers alike out of their denial and ignorance of the impact of the fashion industry on the planet.

Sarah Bradbury

Fashion Reimagined is released in select cinemas on 3^rd March 2023 and available on Sky Documentaries and streaming service NOW from 9^th April 2023. Read our review here.

Watch the trailer for Fashion Reimagined here: